


Maybe next time, they‘ll die of old age.

by harlequin421



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: And it's not really what it's about either., But it's not graphic!, Everybody dies., Just something I wrote for another story that I wound up not using., M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-12
Updated: 2012-03-12
Packaged: 2017-11-01 20:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harlequin421/pseuds/harlequin421
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Memories are tricky things. </p>
<p>Merlin doesn't remember all of it, but this never changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe next time, they‘ll die of old age.

_Gwaine pushed him down on the bed and smiled before pouncing on him. Merlin giggled turning his head and letting the mask that had been covering his eyes slip, “How did you know it was me?”_

_Gwaine rolled his eyes and flicked at the lace that bordered the collar high on his throat, “The stumbling sort of gave you away. But I could feel you.”_

_He leaned down and sniffed along his throat that wasn’t covered by the ridiculous dress that Guinevere had convinced him to wear to the masked ball. Merlin wove his fingers through his silky hair and pulled._

_Gwaine came up easily and took his mouth in his._

_~**~_

_‘I love you.’_

_The words were whispered through the bars that held Merlin prisoner. Merlin could feel it. Could feel that Gwaine loved him but it wasn’t enough. Come dawn, Merlin would die for his sins._

_And there was nothing either of them could do to stop it._

_‘Don’t,’ he whispered back._

_~**~_

_The flames tickled a bit, but Merlin couldn’t find the humor in the situation. Not when he could feel Gwaine and Arthur’s pain so acutely it left him sort of breathless._

_The one who sentenced him to death and the one who tried to save him. Both of them his._

_Always._

_He closed his eyes and vanished willing the pain to disappear as well._

_~**~_

_‘Why did you do this to me?’_

_It was an accusation that hurt worse than anything because Merlin was sure that out of all of the people he had left behind in Camelot that Gwaine would’ve been the one to understand._

_But no._

_Arthur had understood. King Arthur had understood. He had taken it upon himself to free Camelot from its oppression of magic, because he knew that Merlin wasn’t dead. He knew that Merlin was going to come back as soon as he could._

_He had faith._

_But Gwaine had lost all faith._

_Gwaine had gotten married. Gwaine had a child and a wife. Gwaine had let go of Merlin. He had lost all faith._

_Merlin didn’t cry._

_He had to be strong enough for both of them._

_~**~_

_Merlin pushed him back and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand panting harshly. He kept Gwaine away with his magic pushed up against the wall._

_Gwaine looked like if he was struggling, and Merlin was torn between the urge of letting him go so that they could go back to what they’d been doing and slapping him._

_‘You can’t do this,’ he whispered harshly stalking over._

_‘I love you,’ Gwaine answered simply._

_Merlin closed his eyes, ‘Think about your son. He just lost his mother. How do you think he’ll take this?’_

_He saw the fight leave him then, and he withdrew his magic. He stepped forward just in time to catch Gwaine as he fell forward crying._

_~**~_

_Ger, who was no longer a little boy, but a young man of fourteen walked up to where Merlin had been sitting preparing the King’s speech for tonight and dropped down on the seat next to his, and then had asked in a voice that betrayed nothing but amusement, “Why aren’t you and my father married yet?”_

_Merlin had gaped at him not being able to answer._

_Ger had just laughed and patted his hand, “You have my blessing.”_

_He left before Merlin could say anything else._

_“Would you want to?” Gwaine asked later that night._

_They were both in Merlin’s rooms which were a little too close to Arthur’s rooms for both their liking, but at least Gwen kept Arthur away during the nights._

_Merlin, who was still walking around putting stuff away and sort of undressing himself to get ready for bed, turned to Gwaine who was lounging on top of his bed still wearing chain mail and his boots._

_Merlin just set down the small glass vial he had been holding in his hand and walked over to where Gwaine was. He crawled on the bed and swung one leg around Gwaine so that he was straddling him. Gwaine sat up and pressed their lips together chastely._

_Merlin laughed and wrapped his arms around Gwaine’s shoulders, “Of course.”_

_~**~_

_‘NO!’_

_The sound was torn from his throat and everything stopped._

_All he saw was Arthur lying there dead dagger through the heart._

_He didn’t feel anything else. He staggered over there and kneeled down next to the body. He was so cold, so, so cold._

_“Arthur wake up,” he whispered suddenly leaning over and shaking him. “Arthur! Damnit! Wake up!”_

_Arthur’s hand that had been on top of his chest fell to the side and laid there like a dead weight, because Arthur was dead._

_“No,” he whispered. “Arthur.”_

_He shook him again, “Goddamn! Arthur!”_

_He felt the moment he lost control of his magic. He felt it twist and it all concentrated on Mordred. He let Arthur down carefully as life returned all around him._

_He shrugged off whoever it was that had just placed their hand on his shoulder and looked at Mordred. The young man was still, frozen and looking at him with wide scared eyes, “Emrys, you don’t want to do this.”_

_Merlin let out a small laugh, “Oh, you have no idea how much I do.”_

_~**~_

_“I would do anything to get you to stop hurting,” Gwaine whispered roughly against his temple. The last syllables of ‘hurting’ breaking sharply as Merlin thrust in a bit too rough._

_He wrapped his legs tighter around Merlin’s waist, and flexed his hands where they were still trapped on the headboard by one of Merlin’s old neckerchiefs._

_Merlin stopped and looked down at Gwaine. Gwaine smiled at him sort of brokenly._

_Merlin leaned down and pressed their mouths together, “I love you.”_

_~**~_

_Merlin didn’t speak._

_He took one look at Gwaine’s broken body and knew that it was just a matter of time before they had found them._

_The Druids looking for justice because Merlin killed their High Priest._

_Merlin didn’t care anymore._

_He pressed his lips one last time to Gwaine’s mouth, and walked outside to meet his doom._

_Maybe next time, they‘ll die of old age._

 


End file.
